Meet Alyssa – Our Recruiting Manager in the San Diego Office

As a Recruiting Manager for the San Diego Branch, Alyssa’s goal is to absorb everything that she learns each day to truly understand how to be a successful recruiter and apply it to her clients and candidates so that they can be successful as well. Before working at Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services, Alyssa worked in sales at a jewelry store where she was tasked with handling operations and selling the brand to all customers.

One accomplishment that she is proud of is when clients she worked with went out of their way to speak so highly of her service to her manager. Now, Alyssa strives to make her client’s and candidate’s experience just as great. Alyssa is excited to work at Hire Up because she feels that she resonates with the company culture. Hire Up is committed to employee growth, and she sees just how passionate and motivated everyone is to succeed.

When Alyssa is outside of the office, she likes to spend time hanging out with friends whether it’s just staying inside or going out to dinner. She also LOVES going shopping. If Alyssa could go anywhere in the world, she would love to go to New York with a few of her best friends.

Meet Madi – Our Recruiting Manager in our Fresno Office!

Meet Madi, our Recruiting Manager in our Fresno office! Madi graduated from Fresno State in 2018 with an Accounting Degree and was working in public accounting as an auditor ever since.

Now, a few years later, Madi is excited to join the Hire Up team and is looking forward to making candidate’s days by finding them a job rather than ruining a client’s days by telling them they are getting audited.

In her free time, Madi likes to cook, bake and go on walks with her dog Poppy. She also loves interior design, so she is always redecorating!

We are so happy to have Madi on the team! We know that she will rock it as a Recruiting Manager.

Are You Maximizing the Value of Your Staffing Agency?

Rebecca Kirkman

President

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

April 19, 2021

Partnering with the right staffing agency can be a rewarding and life-changing relationship for job seekers and organizations, both big and small. To identify whether you are working with an agency that is right for you, you must first understand what you can expect from your agency partner and what you can prepare to bring to the table to make the most of the collaborative partnership. After all, the right agency represents your best interest, and they are only able to do that based upon what you share with them about your needs.

Have you partnered with an agency before? Are you curious about it? Follow this article for tips and tricks to getting the most from the relationship with your staffing agency.

For Job Seekers:

Maybe you are an experienced professional with a background in Accounting, Administration, Legal, Management, Medical, or Clinical. Perhaps you are in between jobs and looking for a little extra cash from a temporary assignment. It could be you are just starting out and looking for an entry-level position in an organization with which you can grow. Whichever your situation, partnering with a staffing agency is a great way to find employment with a reputable company.

Here are several things you can do to ensure you are getting the most from your first meeting with your staffing agency:

Identify your career goals: Know what types of jobs that most interest you.
Know the types of opportunities available with your staffing agency: Check out their job board and apply to those with which you are genuinely interested in working.
Update your resume: Research online to see how your current resume stacks up against others in your line of work. Do you not have a resume? Or the resume you do have has not been updated since the late 90s? No problem! Visit a site like fiver.com or Etsy, pay a few bucks for a downloadable resume and cover letter template that will allow your experience to shine within a professional format.
Brush up on your interview skills (ask for feedback): Practice with a friend or family member. Create a cheat sheet for yourself with which to practice. On your cheat sheet, identify professional highlights, particular challenges you were able to overcome and how, and ways in which your skills would complement the needs of the position with which you are applying. And, then PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Questions to help you identify what to expect: Create a list of questions for your recruiter. What does this specific employer value most? How can I make sure I stand out? Once placed, how will I be paid? What if I have questions about my benefits?

If you are a job seeker and interested in what a partnership with Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services can do for you, check out our job board, apply, and schedule an appointment with one of our recruiters. We are ready and able to help!

For Employers:

Whether your organization has worked with a staffing agency before or not, you may be surprised by the amount of support available to you when choosing the right one. It is important to ask questions and interview your agency, just as you would a high-level leadership candidate. Know about their history, their goals, and what they offer. Get a feeling for their ability to build and maintain relationships because the state of staffing for your organization’s future will likely depend upon those skills.

Know your agency.
1. Do your research and ask around.
2. Once you have contacted the agency, ask questions about:
  1. Current trends or recruiting challenges
  2. Specialized support
  3. Client satisfaction ratings
  4. Any guarantees they offer
  5. Morale and turnover of their worksite
  6. Placement testimonials
  7. Rate comparison vs. benefits offered
  8. Their expectations of you for a successful partnership

Of these items list above, clients of Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services are most likely familiar with our track record for client satisfaction and specialized support. They know the benefits of our Hire Guarantee, wherein if an employee does not meet your expectations, we have a contingency plan in place to keep you happy and your business operating smoothly.

KNOW the support services your agency provides:

Do they specialize in staffing for specific industries?
1. What other clients do they currently represent?
2. What does their background processing consist of, and how do they do it?
3. Do they conduct onsite drug screening? What do they test for?
4. How is payroll handled?
5. How is onboarding handled?
6. Do they offer Recruiting, Hiring Consulting, and Guidance?
7. Will you have direct contact with your agency?
8. What other services do they offer? (Employee Screening, Payroll, HR Consulting, On-Site Opportunities)
Communicate often with your staffing agency.
Your agency team has a wealth of knowledge within multiple industries and maintains connections around the country.
1. If you are not sure, ask. If they don’t know the answer, your agency should have connections to finding the information you need.
Unsure about what type of employee you are looking for? ASK about the different types of employment relationships your agency offers:
1. Contract to hire
2. Temporary
3. Temporary to hire
4. Payrolling
5. Full time
6. Executive placement
7. Industry-specific specialty positions
Assess your needs:
1. What types of candidates are you looking for?
2. Be direct about your needs and job placement priorities.
Put your best foot forward:
1. Sell your company to the agency so that they can help sell you to potential employees.
2. Market with the strengths of your organization and have a plan to continue to strive to be an employer of choice. (For more information on this topic, check out Creating a Workplace of Choice.).
Post-Placement-Stay Connected:
1. Once a placement is made-stay connected, let your agency know what is working and what is not.
2. Be honest and direct with your observations, concerns, questions. Your agency wants you to be happy with the placement. If there are any hesitations, share them!

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services offers many ways to hire, and they are varied based upon the needs of your specific business. Be it temporary staffing for an immediate need; temp to hire used to test a candidate’s capabilities before permanently hired; direct hire allows for the recruitment of candidates for higher-level or more specialized positions; payrolling allows an employer an opportunity for a trial period with an employee and avoids immediately hiring a new employee directly by using a staffing service. There are countless ways in which to start a candidate.

If you are working for an organization that you believe may benefit from learning more about what a staffing agency can do, visit our website and give us a call. We would love the opportunity to share more about the many things we offer our valued clients, as well as learn about how we can begin helping you find solutions to your staffing needs TODAY!

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There is no doubt that 2021 will bring forth opportunities to leverage new and emerging employment trends. Follow the Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services Blog to stay connected with a variety of topics aimed to help support you! Whether you are an active job seeker looking for tips and tricks to land your perfect job or an employer looking to fill a challenging position, we are here to help you HIRE UP!

Rebecca Kirkman, President | April 19th, 2021

Rebecca Kirkman is the President and Founder of Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services. Rebecca’s mission is as simple today as it was when she started Hire Up over 10 years ago: Connecting great Employers with great Employees. Hire Up leads job seekers to their dream careers and employers to their dream team. The true belief in the human connection and that people hire people is a true passion for every Hire Up employee. Rebecca was proudly named the #1 Woman-Owned Business by The Business Journal.

Meet Kali – Our Austin Recruiting Manager

Introducing our newest member of the Hire Up team, Kali! Kali is one of our Recruiting Managers in our Austin office.

As a Recruiting Manager with Hire Up Staffing and Healthcare, she is continuously networking with top-tier candidates throughout the marketplace. She offers candid, professional advice on every phase of the hiring process, from effective marketing of your skills, to networking and negotiating employment terms.

Kali’s goal is to help individuals pursue career moves that provide an ideal connection, not only for technical and functional skills but also for your personality and lifestyle. She believes this is a relationship business built on honesty, integrity, and open communication, and she is dedicated to finding her clients and candidates the best opportunity.

Kali’s specialties include Strategic Planning • Needs Analysis • Coaching & Development • Performance Management • Lead Generation • Team Management • Relationship Building • Sales & Revenue Forecasting.

Kali is open to referrals and respect confidentiality in all searches. She is available for career counseling and to share current hiring trends and openings in your field. She is eager to partner with you to uncover relevant positions for your next career move.

Outside of the office, Kali loves to spend time with friends and family, traveling, and being outdoors especially by the water. She likes adventuring and trying new things and meeting new people.

Welcome to the team, Kali! We are so happy to have you!

Hiring Boomerang Employees: The Pros and the Cons

Leah Perez

VP of Major Accounts

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

April 5, 2021

With the increased interest in temporary work, our team at Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services is actively working to serve the needs of both organizations and job seekers at a record pace. We make a living connecting the skills and abilities of qualified candidates to the needs of partnering organizations around the country. Our business is about creating and maintaining connections.

In the connections business, we are no stranger to familiar faces. In fact, we have built a business around serving them. Whether we are supporting an organization with filling roles as needed over the years or assisting with the placement of a known and highly vetted candidate who prefers temporary assignments, knowing the needs of both are what make our connections successful. Ensuring that every connection becomes a familiar one has helped us best serve our clients and become one of the country’s leading staffing organizations.

While we thrive on building relationships that create familiarity, it is not always something organizations see as a positive when it comes to boomerang employees. Are you familiar with the term? A boomerang employee is one who voluntarily leaves an organization and is later rehired. There are mixed reviews on boomerang employees. And, while each boomerang employee has a unique set of circumstances for why they left and their reasons for wanting to return, it is important to consider the pros and the cons before rehiring them.

The Pros of a Boomerang Employee:

Predictability, Less Risk, and Known Position Fit: You know their talents and the quality of their work. Rehiring an employee with whom you are familiar may feel like a safer bet than searching for a new employee with similar experience and unknown work quality.
A Known Culture Fit: They know your company culture…and want to return. This sends a powerful message to customers and other employees alike that your culture is one in which employees WANT to work.
Lower Training and Onboarding Costs: While an obvious perk, it is an important one to consider; it takes less time and money to acclimate a boomerang rehire as opposed to a brand-new employee. They are familiar with the work, the policies, and the processes associated with it.
Faster Productivity than a New Hire: Given that there is less need for a boomerang employee to have a comprehensive training plan, they are faster to perform the job’s duties.
New-Found Skills, Abilities, Perspective: A boomerang employee may return with a new perspective and outlook. They may have acquired additional knowledge and skill. This new perspective may also bring a refreshed set of eyes and new ideas. If a boomerang employee left to work for the competition and returned to you, they bring back a different perspective on the work and likely valuable market information.
New Perspective Can Bring New-Found Loyalty: Depending upon their reason for leaving, a rehired employee can see the differences between your company and the other they worked with for a time. There are valuable lessons in learning the grass is not always greener.
Important Connections with Specific Customers/Clients: An employee who has previously worked for you and left voluntarily likely created key relationships with many valued customers. A returning familiar face can help re-establish customer relationships and trust.
An Opportunity to Build Upon Development: This employee left previously for some reason; be sure you feel confident in the reason(s) why. Rehiring an employee is an opportunity for you to identify ways to better cultivate their development and ensure they remain engaged, challenged, and heard. You may choose to have a meeting with them and discuss what frustrated them in the past and search for ways to find solutions and a mutual agreement to a fresh start.

The Cons of a Boomerang Employee:

Unmet Expectations Can Build Resentment:
1. The potentially rehired employee may expect to return to the organization just as they left, expecting the same pay and accrual rates for vacation/PTO.
2. Do you have a rehire policy regarding reinstatement criteria?
3. These details need to be determined and addressed before the rehire offer is made. Consider that if your offer is lower than what they were previously making, this may result in silent resentment, leading to future performance issues and/or job dissatisfaction.
4. The potentially rehired employee may expect things within your organization to be the same as when they left. Changes to an organizational structure or work processes may be difficult for them to understand and buy into, creating resistance to change and dissatisfaction with their job.
Negative Impact on Morale: In addition to the potential resentment a rehired employee may have for changes they find upon returning, consider the impact this rehire could have on your current employees’ morale. The team may question why this person was brought back. Members of the team likely worked harder for a time in their immediate absence.
Shorter Longevity: Boomerang employees require less training and can show higher performance than newly hired employees right out of the gate. However, in a study conducted by John D. Arnold and a team of collaborators, published in the Journal of Management, boomerang employees have a higher turnover rate than internal or external hires.

Additional Things to Consider:

Best Predictor of Future Behavior is Past Behavior: This boomerang employee left previously for some reason; if you are not aware of the reason(s) behind their previous departure and do nothing to investigate why, you are setting yourself up for a repeat performance, be it good or bad. You will want to have an idea of what this could look like before they are rehired.
1. Review their Records, Not Just Your Memory: Recall why they left, the circumstances, and lessons learned. Review their Exit Interview. Talk to their managers. Rehires have the potential to bring back positive attributes to your organization. However, they also can negatively influence your team by bringing back with them poor performance habits.
Over the Years, HR Professionals have Eased Up on the Idea of Rehiring Boomerang Employees: In a 2015 SHRM article, Attitude on Rehiring Boomerang Employees Changing, “Three-fourths of HR professionals and 65% of managers say they are more accepting of hiring boomerang employees than they used to be, revealing a changing mindset about these individuals.”
***Hire Up Pro Tip***: If you are confident about your organization’s culture—CELEBRATE IT and do so by celebrating with former employees who remain loyal to your brand! Establish an alumni alliance for your company. This group can serve as valuable advocates and as an extension of your marketing team. Staying connected through an alumni group creates lifetime loyalty, regardless of whether they are on the payroll or not. It also creates a pool of happy connections that could help you fill future roles within your organization. Your specialized group of influencers can assist you by:
1. Talking up an exciting opportunity you have available within your organization.
2. Referring someone they think would love the job!
3. Reapplying for a new position with a company they know and love!

See the benefits for yourself! Start an alumni group if your company does not yet have one.

The Rehire Choice is Yours

Research and studies help highlight trends but obviously do not highlight every outcome. Each employee brings with them their own unique skillsets, abilities, and circumstances. The purpose of sharing this information is to assist you with making the best-informed choice for your organization. Every employer has a glowing example of a time a boomerang employee worked well, and most could share about a time when they may have made a different decision if given that same opportunity again.

But remember this: Steve Jobs, Lebron James, and Michael Jordan are all examples of boomerang employees. While your boomerang employees may not be household names, the right rehire could become a megastar in your workplace if properly reintroduced into your organization. The choice is yours, and it is an important one.

Not sure where you stand on this topic? Conflicted about whether you want to rehire a known candidate or start fresh with someone new? We can help! Contact Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services and allow us to work with you to find the best candidates for your current needs.

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References:

Boomerang Employees: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – HR Daily Advisor (blr.com)

Should You Rehire an Employee Who Left Your Company? (hbr.org)Welcome Back? Job Performance and Turnover of Boomerang Employees Compared to Internal and External Hires – John D. Arnold, Chad H. Van Iddekinge, Michael C. Campion, Talya N. Bauer, Michael A. Campion, 2020 (sagepub.com)

employers need to know about boomerang employees (purdue.edu)

Attitude on Rehiring Boomerang Workers Changing (shrm.org)

Leah Perez, VP of Major Accounts | April 5, 2021

As the Vice President of Major Accounts, Leah focuses on national-level clients. Leah has over 16 years of recruiting experience in various industries from medical/clinical to administrative/accounting, all of which has launched her to being one of the most well-respected staffing leaders in California. Clients and candidates would describe her as urgent, ethical, and most importantly, she takes the time to understand her client’s needs so she can properly assist them. Leah would love to speak with you so she can help your business reach new heights.

Meet Alexa – Our Modesto Recruiting Manager

Meet Alexa, one of our Modesto Recruiting Managers! Alexa is a motivated Recruiter specializing in Administrative and Light Industrial positions with 6 years in Customer Service starting from Standard Retail to High Volume Book-keeping. She has 3 years of experience in Management and Trainee Enrollment.

Alexa has strong Interpersonal skills, great communication, and a committment to make any task a priority. Alexa has strong leadership skills as well as being a motivated team player. Although she is new to staffing, Alexa already loves it and can’t wait to help her new clients.

When not at work, Alexa loves spending time with her son, bulldog, and family. She is a photographer and creator, and she loves to cook and travel!

Welcome to the team, Alexa!

Creating A Workplace of Choice

Lauren Milam

Regional Vice President – West Coast

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

March 23, 2021

One of the things we love most about our work at Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services is connecting the perfect candidates with the needs of the organizations we support. We serve as professional matchmakers, of sorts. The greatest connections are when the candidates are equally as excited as the organizations, and their collective expectations are in sync.

Our most successful clients understand the importance of their roles in creating a workplace with which their employees feel comfortable and thrive—and want to stay. For many organizations, this can come easy. For others, it is difficult to identify where there may be a need for additional reinforcement.

How does your company measure up?

Is your organization ready for a bit of self-reflection?

Keep reading!

From our team’s collective experience in staffing, the top three areas we have found most important when creating a Workplace of Choice—one in which employees want to stay—are:

Culture
Management
Employee Development

Culture

Employee retention starts with culture. A new employee’s opinion about their first week on the job is often a reflection of how they interpret the company culture. This culture is seen in the actions and behaviors of an organization’s employees every day. Culture serves as the undercurrent, the way in which work gets done and how others interact with each other to do that work.

“Organizational culture can be referred to as the glue that keeps an organization together. It is the silent code of conduct; it is more about how things get done, rather than what gets done. When a new employee is learning the ropes, they are learning the culture,” Lizz Pellet, The Cultural Fit Factor: Creating an Employment Brand That Attracts, Retains, and Repels the Right Employees (SHRM, 2009).

A large part of creating a better company culture is caring about and listening to each of the members on your team. With millennials accounting for over 1/3 of the workforce in the US, understanding their point of view is a good place to start. When asked what is most important in the workplace, on a 1 to 10 scale, millennials have rated company culture at an 8.5. While workplace culture is important to people of all ages, given the growing number of millennials in the workforce, culture should be a top priority for companies when it comes to retention.

The benefits to creating a stronger and healthier company culture are endless. An article in Forbes magazine claims, “Happy employees are up to 20% more productive than unhappy employees,” and if happier employees are in sales, happiness can increase numbers by 37%. Happy employees don’t want to leave.

Another benefit to a positive workplace culture? It is marketing GOLD. Social media is a great outlet for leveraging a positive work environment. Celebrating your company’s personalized take on workplace anniversaries or birthdays are perfect opportunities to share with the virtual world! When the workplace is happy, there is always something to celebrate. Even candid shots that illustrate what a day at work is like for your happy office can be meaningful content. Not only do posts like this show big love for your team, but they also offer BIG potential to manifest positive sentiment from customers, future customers, and future employees alike.

I am thrilled that our positive culture comes across on social media. We are always celebrating someone or something! I constantly have people reaching out to me to say how fun our organization looks and how they want to work here. Our vibrant and thriving culture is celebrated in the workplace daily and being able to share it virtually with others makes it even better!

Are you following us on social media yet? Let’s connect!

Management

Have you ever asked your team why they love working with your company? If their answers include things like, “I love the people here,” or, “this is my second home,” they are clearly sharing that working for you is beyond collecting a paycheck. An employee’s reason to stay with a company is maintained within the workplace culture.

However, where does the culture begin? William Craig, Founder of Web Ex., shared in a 2018 Forbes article, “Every employee impacts an organization’s direction, but leadership has by far the largest and most direct effect on company culture, which revolves around employee engagement, environment, atmosphere, and the success of the company and its clients.”

Leaders have an opportunity to recognize that culture exists (good, bad, or ugly) and that it creates the experience for their employees, and ultimately their customers. Building upon and improving a current culture takes a cohesive commitment from the company’s management team. Leadership has a direct connection to employee confidence and empowerment. These two elements are directly connected to employee engagement and how well the team carries out the duties required to uphold a company’s mission and serve its customers.

Many may be familiar with the famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see.” This quote very much applies to good leadership. If leaders are to lead change, they must lead the way they wish the change to be. They must serve as the example for what they want to see more of within their teams. This means their behaviors, communication styles, priorities, and service to others are in line with their expectations of those who report to them.

“What People Want,” written by Terry Bacon, outlines a list of leadership characteristics that matter most to US employees. The top five traits selected from this survey include:

90%: Honesty and Integrity
89%: Fairness
86%: Trust
84% Respect
81% Dependability

Employees want to trust their leaders. They want to feel that what they do matters and that they have a voice. Engaged employees can trust that their voices are heard and, more importantly, respected and VALUED. Employee engagement means your team feels that they are a part of something bigger and that their contributions and suggestions make a difference to their work and the organization. Engaged employees feel seen and heard. Engaged employees don’t want to leave.

One of the best ways for your team to feel seen, heard, and valued is to get to know THEM. Treat them as you would an important customer. Get to know what is important to them, what they value, what they need, why they are doing what they are doing. When you can connect with them on a human level and understand what motivates them, you are better able to lead them.

Employee Development

By identifying what is most important to your team members, you can lead them in ways that connect their personal desires with the growing needs of the organization. It may take some creativity; however, your interest in their goals and aspirations shows you care and that they matter, which ultimately makes them happier and more engaged while working with you. This is a win, win, win—a win for them, a win for you, and a win for your customers.

To best ensure this winning experience, once you have collaborated with your team members to get to know what makes them tick, you must not waste this valuable insight. Take some time to reflect on how YOU can make a change to provide more of what they want. Then, work with them to create a growth road map outlining how you will support their interests through additional training and development.

These road maps may include:

Mentoring
Job shadowing
Training-both internal and external
1. Webinars
2. Research free training options through local business organizations
3. Partner with your vendors for possible cross-training efforts
4. Create a small resource library of professional books from leaders you admire and encourage the team to check them out and/or share their own suggestions for the collection

The development investment in your team is invaluable. If you are thinking this will not work for your team because of any financial or budgetary constraints–think again. Take a look at your turnover numbers in the last 3-5 years. Consider the amount of financial strain turnover has had on the bottom line, not to mention the impact it may have placed on the morale of the team working with less and struggling to sustain a similar output. The costs are often already there. It is possible you cannot afford NOT to try this approach. Consider shifting your perspective to focus instead on investing and developing the talents of the people you have with you now.

The idea of employee development is such a big piece of the employee retention puzzle. Some leaders may worry about the expense to support it. Any business investment involves some risk. However, when investing in human capital…the skills and knowledge of a living and breathing member of your team who has expressed an interest in learning something new? It is a no-brainer. By investing in them, you are showing they matter. This type of support is what breeds engagement. Engagement is what makes companies thrive and creates invested team members. Invested employees don’t want to leave.

This topic reminds me of the management folktale with the CFO & CEO discussing employee development. Have you heard this one?

“The CFO asks the CEO, ‘What happens if we invest in developing these people and they leave?’

to which the CEO replies, ‘What happens if we don’t, and they stay?’”

Investing in your team is a risk worth taking.

Need some help with your retention strategy? Call us.

Let us work together to create a plan that fits.

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Sources:

Defining Organizational Culture (shrm.org)

Promoting Employee Happiness Benefits Everyone (forbes.com)

5 Ways for Leaders to Influence Organizational Culture | Bill Hogg

The Role Leadership Has in Company Culture (forbes.com)

Creating a Truly Caring Work Environment | SHRM Executive Network Blog

(https://sescomgt.com/resources/articles/nine-things-employees-want-from-their-managers/138).

The Best Managers – Always – Develop Their Employees (forbes.com)

Lauren Milam, Regional Vice President – West Coast | March 23, 2021

As the Regional Vice President of the West Coast operations, Lauren focuses on developing each Hire Up team member and office to ensure they have the tools and ability to meet the needs of all the clients and candidates. Lauren’s vast experience in the staffing industry and her passion for people, results, and success is what drives her daily. This experience includes leadership, management, employee development, sales, marketing, recruitment, client retention, and candidate retention. Her goal is to ensure every client and candidate receives excellent service through every aspect of the process. Lauren would love to speak with you so she can help your business reach new heights

Meet Allison – Our Bakersfield Recruiting Manager

Meet Allison Kitts, one of our Recruiting Managers in the Bakersfield Office of Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services. In both professional and personal, Allison is consistent in striving for positive outcomes. She has held multiple customer service positions and loves working to build relationships and positively impact someone’s life. The staffing industry is an entirely new environment for her, and she is excited to find a new passion in helping people in a new way. She is looking forward to helping Hire Up Staffing grow and maintain relationships with clients and candidates.

Outside of the office, Allison’s life consists of spending time with her two little girls, Presley and Charlee. They are 2 and 9 years old. (They keep her hands full) She enjoys shopping online and out of the city, going hiking in new places, taking lots of trips, and meeting new people. She is obsessed with scary movies and crime documentaries. She is also a huge Dodger fan and enjoys going to the games with friends and family as much as she can! She looks to strive more every day in every aspect of life for her two little girls that look up to her. Allison has a huge passion for helping others and is always open to expanding her knowledge and growing professionally. She is excited about this new journey and is determined to make meaningful placements while providing top-quality customer service.

Welcome to the team, Allison!

Successful Onboarding: The Connection to the Big and Small of It

Chris Rogers

Regional Vice President – Midwest

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

March 18, 2021

Our Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services team is in the business of creating and maintaining connections with people. Whether we are collaborating with you to find perfect quality candidates for your large organization or supporting you, an individual jobseeker, with position placement, we value each of our connections made with all customers. No client is too big and no request of us that is too small.

The success of our connections and how we work to consistently support our clients, both big and small, boils down to how well we serve their specific and individual needs.

We have gained the trust of our clients through offering consistent support in big ways, including:

Utilizing our 100+ years of collective expert experience

Offering an array of top-level candidates

Committing to our hire guarantee

Extending community support through sponsorships, fundraisers, and annual charitable drives

We maintain positive client connections through consistency in the details of our everyday support services. These small details make big impacts and include:

Vetting Top Candidates

Comprehensive background checks

Integrity built into our pre-employment drug screenings

Onboarding Compliance

Thorough verification of work authorization documentation

Accuracy with all new hire paperwork

While our role of support varies based upon each client’s individual need, some things remain constant. Our team is here to support you every step of the way. From placement to onboarding, we have your back!

For Employers

Your newly placed employee likely took many steps to get to you. Once they have the job, they too, have expectations, just as you do of them. Our most successful clients understand that placement is just the start of the journey and that onboarding and training are the best opportunities to show their new employees that they are in the right place.

How do you, an employer, proactively ensure the best possible journey for your new employee?

Showing your new employee that they are in the right place comes down to both the big things and the smallest of details. When creating and maintaining a connection with a new employee, preparation makes everything better! The big components to successful onboarding include planning and some forethought.

The Big Things

Work to build connection— immediately.

Know their name, a bit about their background, their interests

Have a formalized Onboarding Process

Be sure to cover the Who, What, When, Where, Why

Whenever possible, point out the What’s In It for Me (WIIFM)

What are the benefits to them, the new hire, to know this information/to do this process this way, etc.

Create a Buddy/Mentor Process

Identify a buddy/mentor for your new hire and share your expectations of the Buddy with them BEFORE the new hire starts.

Include a Training Plan/Calendar from Day 1 through the first few months on the job

Schedule time with subject matter experts (SMEs) and place time with the new hire on the SMEs Outlook calendars, as well as on your new hire’s training calendar

Schedule time on their calendar to meet with the Buddy/Mentor, too.

Include important milestones, when possible

A 30-Day lunch with the team, etc.

“Onboarding new hires at an organization should be a strategic process that lasts at least one year, staffing and HR experts say, because how employers handle the first few days and months of a new employee’s experience is crucial to ensuring high retention,” SHRM contributor, Roy Maurer, writes.

The Small Details Set the Stage

Preparing for a new employee takes effort. It takes forethought to consider how things might feel from a new person’s point of view. Think it through from their eyes, from the start of day 1 through their first month or two. What key information, actions, items will they require? The more you can show that you have thought through each detail, the more welcome your new hire will feel. These small things build trust. Trust builds connection, and connection builds engagement with your new hire.

By paying attention to the SMALL details, you show them that they matter in a BIG way.

Here are some of the small details you may want to consider:

Entry to Location

Parking Access

Where to park

Parking sticker

ID Badge for Building Access

Other access locations needed?

Entry into Office

Location to store personal items, purses, wallets, keys, etc.

Computer (access-ready)

Mouse

Chair

Pens, lined paper, copy paper, folders, fresh tabs for labeling hanging folders, stapler, staples, staple remover, tape

Business cards

Resources Binder or Online Version, to include:

Job Description

Company Mission Statement, Brand Values, Org Chart, Goals

Telephone List of Extensions

Job Aid for Voice Mail Use/Telephone Functions

Safety Information/Map of Building

An Onboarding Schedule/Calendar of Events for the first 30 days

Training Plan/Calendar, to include:

Meeting with company leadership to align on mission and goals.

New hire buddy lunch(es)

Schedule a 30-day check-in with the manager

Schedule important training sessions with Buddy or SME, including:

How to navigate company intranet

Shared files/drives

HR Time-keeping software

Direct Deposit

Payday info

Buddy/Mentor

Job Duties Clarified

What are the role’s specific responsibilities?

Review internal processes and workflow

How to get IT and HR support, as needed

Tour of Facility/Introduce to Others on route.

Employee Parking

Restrooms

Breakroom/Refrigerator

Approved Smoking Locations

Emergency Exits

Conference Rooms

Manager/Supervisors Office

HR Forms or Benefits Location

Office Supply area/how to order supplies

Within First Week: Manager Meet Up

Manager’s goals for new hire

Manager’s preferences and expectations

Review new hire’s goals and expectations

Set up 30,60, 90-day formalized check-ins

Review annual performance review and goal-setting practices

Leave plenty of time for questions and discussion.

Introduce new hire in a leadership meeting, when possible

Additional Small Personal Touches that Further Build Connection

Having business cards ready and on their desk upon their arrival, if applicable
Provide company swag on their desk, if available
Create a Welcome sign on their door, or within their cubicle, as a welcome to the new hire, as well as for others to see and introduce themselves to them throughout the week(s)
Send a welcome email featuring new hire, photo, bio to the company/department.
ENGAGE! Check-in with them often. Ask your new hire for feedback on their experience.
Use feedback gathered to adjust the current training plan, as well as note for future new hire plans.
Include them in helping you build upon your Onboarding Process and Training Plan/Calendar for the next new hire

By considering your actions, both big and small, you have the best opportunity to make the most of your investment in this newly hired employee. When you can showcase your organization in the best light, the new employee only benefits. In addition to making their transition easier, it also underscores the level of professionalism and respects you expect within the workplace. The smallest details can often make the biggest impression.

Do you have questions about how we might be able to help support you with creating your Onboarding Plan? Contact us! Let us talk about how we can work together to make your next hire a successful one!

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There is no doubt that 2021 will bring forth opportunities to leverage new and emerging employment trends. Follow the Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services Blog to stay connected with various topics to help support you! Whether you are an active job seeker looking for tips and tricks to land your perfect job or an employer looking to fill a challenging position, we are here to help you HIRE UP!

Sources:

New Employee Onboarding Guide (shrm.org)

5 Tips To Make Sure Your Employees Have The Best First Week At Work | WorkBright

Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success (shrm.org)

Chris Rogers, Regional Vice President – Midwest |March 18, 2021|

As the Regional Vice President of the Mid-West operations, Chris focuses on the mentorship and development of his Hire Up staff to ensure they are equipped to provide the best service to both our candidates and clients. Chris’ extensive knowledge of the staffing industry lays the groundwork for his teams to always deliver top-caliber talent to great organizations. His expertise includes experience in all disciplines from commercial and professional staffing to executive placement. Chris and his teams strive to improve the lives of their candidates and improve the businesses of their clients. Chris’ over 15 years in the staffing and recruitment industry includes the successful management of highly performing sales and recruiting teams throughout the Southwest. Chris would love to speak with you so he can help your business reach new heights.

Getting Through Q1 2021: General State of Staffing

Rebecca Kirkman

President

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

March 16, 2021

Staying on top of industry trends is vital for the Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services team as we work to support the needs of both the job seeker and the employers placing them. Monitoring national employment situation data serves as a benchmarking tool for us to ensure we are best serving the diverse needs of our customers. Add in the tumultuous time of a pandemic, and the importance of keeping a close eye on the ever-changing climate is more important than ever!

With Hire Up, we have your back. Whether you are one of the 6.3% of the population out of work or are working to fill temporary and/or permanent positions, we are here to support you. Our recent analysis shows favorable job increases within specific industries. Want to learn more?

In January, employment in professional and business services rose by 97,000, with temporary help services accounting for most of the gain (+81,000). Job growth was also seen in management and technical consulting services (+16,000), computer systems design and related services (+11,000), and scientific research and development services (+10,000).

We currently have openings within these industries across the country. Job seekers, we can help! Click here to see our list of available positions.

Trends

Skills to Bring to the Table in 2021- What Employers Want

The Hays Salary and Recruiting trends report suggests that employers will be placing more emphasis on technical skills and soft skills in 2021. Of the soft skills most sought after, communication is at the top of the list.

Technical Skills: Given the increasing demand for the use of technology, technical skills in 2021 is something many employers may seek.
Soft Skills: Employers are wise to look for capable communicators able to navigate effectively through the changing needs of today.

Employers, are you looking for technically driven communicators able to roll with the punches? We have a host of qualified candidates looking to put such skills to work for you. Click here to learn more!

Organizational Offerings in 2021- What Employees Need

While 2021 is requiring employers to seek out specific characteristics and skills of their employees, jobseekers are also finding a reason to seek work with companies able to offer benefits that meet their needs and the changing needs of their families.

Flexibility. Given the challenges parents face with changes in school arrangements, flexibility ranks high on the list of priorities for job seekers.
Mental Health Resources. Now more than ever, job seekers rank employee wellness and mental health support as a benefit they value from a prospective employer.
Safety, Security, and Health. Working to meet/exceed employee expectations during COVID-19 is vital. Ensuring workplace cleanliness, maintaining a safe work environment, and a consistent pre-screening protocol is particularly important to employees.

Hire Up is partnered with countless employers who can offer such solutions for the specific needs of job seekers today. All are mandated to meet the COVID19 guidelines outlined by the CDC, both on a local and national level. And most all employers we work with offer flexible schedules-including temporary arrangements and employee assistance programs for wellness. Interested in learning more? Check here for more information on temporary opportunities in your area.

Employer Challenges

A Workforce Plan During a Pandemic?

Employers have had to remain nimble, learning on the fly, all while struggling to plan during a time of global uncertainty. Add in the need and desire to create new safety policies, stay on top of all mandated workplace COVID19 protocols—it is a lot. This challenge is further compounded within many industries when trying to find a skilled employee looking for a permanent position. It can feel impossible.

While unemployment numbers highlight joblessness, many employers report finding it difficult to fill their available positions. Some companies continue to attempt to entice permanent workers by offering additional incentive pay per hour and/or sign-on bonuses. However, the extra pay has not paid off for many of the organizations looking to fill these permanent positions.

Why is it that employers are finding it difficult to hire for permanent positions? Some of the reasons identified include:

Perhaps the most obvious, extended, and increased unemployment benefits.
Many laid-off restaurant and retail workers are not skilled for the industries in need of workers.

A “Temporary” Solution?

Many businesses are finding temporary workers to be the solution for remaining nimble in the current climate. By turning to temporary and contract workers, “Businesses can ramp up operations quickly to meet client and consumer demands without the fear of bringing back permanent employees who might have to be laid off if the recovery is not proved to be sustainable,” says Richard Wahlquist, CEO of the American Staffing Association.

Other benefits to employers when hiring temporary help:

Save time, money, effort
Access to a larger candidate pool
Increase hiring speed
Flexibility
Vetted candidates: screening, credentials, reference checks completed

There are also plenty of benefits for the temporary worker. Some of those include:

Flexibility
A faster hiring process
Show continuous employment on a resume
A chance to try out something new
Build a professional network

If the adage is true and that eating an entire elephant is best done one bite at a time, temporary help may be the best bet for getting through this beast of a pandemic. Temporary workers have the expectation, and quite often the desire, to have their employment be just that– temporary. Temporary workers are often attracted to such work because they have found a way to construct flexibility within their work roles right out of the gate.

Are the organizational benefits of adding temporary positions of interest to you? Do you think this “temporary solution” can satisfy the immediate needs of your organization? Many employers are finding that creating temporary positions is key for meeting their workforce challenges so far this year. Remember, 81,000 temporary help positions were created in this country within the month of January alone.

Interested in making this happen for your team? It can feel overwhelming facing these unusual workforce challenges on your own. Allow us to help! Call our team and together, let’s create a workforce plan to best fit the needs of your business today.

Sources:

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION — JANUARY 2021 (bls.gov)

2021 U.S. Hays Salary Guide | Out Now | Hays Specialist Recruitment

What do employers want in 2021? | ACCA Global

The Top 10 Workplace Trends For 2021 (linkedin.com)

Rebecca Kirkman, President | March 16, 2021|

Rebecca Kirkman is the President and Founder of Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services. Rebecca’s mission is as simple today as it was when she started Hire Up over 10 years ago: Connecting great Employers with great Employees. Hire Up leads job seekers to their dream careers and employers to their dream team. The true belief in the human connection and that people hire people is a passion for every Hire Up employee. Rebecca was proudly named the #1 Woman-Owned Business by The Business Journal.